Q&A with Carl Edwards at TMS
"This track is great to us. We've had a lot of success here, run really well, and I love coming here for a number of reasons. The fans are great, the track is really fun, the weather is always nice. It's just a cool place to come."
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON GOING FOR THREE IN A ROW AFTER SWEEPING BOTH RACES HERE LAST YEAR?
"That would be huge. We only got to run a few laps in race trim, but the Aflac Fusion seemed really good. That would be cool. This is a great place to win for a number of reasons. It would be really good for us right now – our finishes the last couple of weeks – it would be perfect to win a race right now."
THIS IS THE OBLIGATORY FINAL FOUR QUESTION: WHO'S GOING TO WIN?
"Mizzou did a great job, but since they're out of it, it's North Carolina. My wife, her favorite basketball player ever is Tyler Hansbrough, so I have to cheer for him."
SIX RACES INTO THE YEAR, AND YOU HAVE YET TO WIN AND HAVE ONE TOP FIVE. IS IT TIME TO PUSH THE PANIC BUTTON?
"It's been six races since we've won. I don't think we need to panic. We're fine. We've performed very well. For instance, last week we were the best I've ever been speed-wise at Martinsville. I'm really proud of that. Had a flat tire and didn't finish well in the race, but we're doing fine. Obviously, we'd love to have six wins, but we're fine."
WHAT'S IT LIKE TO COME HERE AND GO FAST AFTER BACK-TO-BACK SHORT TRACKS?
"You know, short-track racing is a lot different. I grew up racing short tracks, they were dirt, so they were a lot different than places like Bristol and Martinsville. I'm glad Bristol and Martinsville are back to back because it lets me kind of get into the swing of it. But. It is a lot different coming here – you go down into the corner at 200 miles an hour, and big, wide, sweeping, fast corners. It's a way different pace. It's cool that schedule sort of switches up like that. It makes it more fun."
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE REPORTS OF THE POST-SEASON BANQUET GETTING MOVED FROM NEW YORK TO LAS VEGAS?
"I think it's cool. Like I said at the beginning of the year, they can come and have it on some farm land that I have there in Missouri, and invite everyone. Whatever makes it easier for the fans to come show up and be a part of it, makes it more fun for the sponsors, I think that's good. Nothing against New York, it's a fine city, but I think everyone will be a little more excited to go to the banquet in Las Vegas. It has a lot to offer for a lot of different people, so it'll be fun. I hope we're there, and I hope we're there for a long time."
LAST YEAR, IT SEEMED LIKE YOU WERE WINNING EVERY THIRD OR FOURTH RACE. IT MIGHT SEEM TRITE, BUT DO YOU THINK PEOPLE FORGET HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO WIN EVEN ONE RACE. MAYBE THAT WOULD EXPLAIN WHY, AND I DON'T WANT TO SAY YOU'RE OFF TO A SLOW START, BUT YOU'RE NOT THE CARL EDWARDS YOU WERE LAST YEAR.
"You're wrong. That's not accurate at all. Results and performance are two different things. We are the same team, I am the same driver, everything's fine. I think if you look at the drivers that have won no races for the last year, the drivers who have won one race in the last year or year and a half, shows you how difficult winning races is. And so it makes those seasons, like last season, seem that much more special. But, literally, we could win here and win the next 10 in a row, or we could run second in the next 10, and the difference could be six inches in each race, and people would say, "Wow. Why haven't you won race? It's been a total of five feet, you know. The perception is always different than the reality. It's kind of interesting. I guess my answer is, just like earlier, it's been six races since we've won. I don't think we're in any sort of trouble."